Purpose:
To compare subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in eyes with various forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with normal eyes.
Methods:
This is a retrospective study of 42 eyes with exudative AMD, 25 eyes with dry AMD [7 associated with geographic atrophy (GA)], and 96 normal eyes. SFCT measurements were obtained using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) by positioning the device closer to the eye and creating an inverted image. SFCT was measured using the calipers available in the standard device software.
Results:
The average SFCT in normal eyes was 286.1+/- 95.7µm. Eyes with dry AMD and eyes with exudative AMD had a mean SFCT of 171.7+/-83.6µm, and 199.6+/-112.9 µm respectively. While the average SFCT in the eyes with exudative AMD was almost 28 µm thicker than the eyes with dry AMD, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.29). Statistical significance was reached when comparing normal eyes to both exudative (p<0.001) and dry (p<0.001) AMD. Eyes with GA associated dry AMD had an average SFCT of 118.2+/- 51.73 µm, which was statistically significantly thinner than those with dry AMD eyes not associated with GA (192.5+/-85.3 µm), p=0.04. Interestingly, the range of SFCT in eyes with dry AMD associated with GA was much smaller (45-191 µm) than the exudative AMD eyes (54-497 µm) and dry AMD eyes without GA (53-312 µm). Additionally, all eyes with dry AMD associated with GA had SFCT measuring under 200 µm.
Conclusions:
Eyes with exudative AMD have thicker SFCT than eyes with dry AMD. This result was not statistically significant. Eyes with dry AMD associated with GA have significantly thinner choroidal thickness than eyes with dry AMD not associated with GA.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • choroid • imaging/image analysis: clinical